With few exceptions, I would posit that we all want to be successful. It’s not often that someone proclaims, “I would love to be a failure!”
Of course, the question is how does one measure success? It’s true that we need to know what race we’re running, but we also have to understand the cold, hard truth that we can’t have it all. No matter how far you lean in, it’s simply impossible.
I’ve had a varied career. It has taken me from nonprofits, to healthcare, to the top 25 of the Fortune 500 list, and back again. I’ve gone from finance, to IT, to analytics, and back again.
At the moment, I report directly to a senior executive and my duties and expectations are nearly all-encompassing. I’m the exec’s whatever-needs-to-be-done person.
A book can change your life. It’s a cliché, but that does not make it any less true.
All of humanity’s knowledge, insights, ideas, failures, and lessons learned are contained within books. They have all the answers. The writers have lived lives and encountered problems and, fortunately for us, have reported their findings in the form of the written word which we can use as a springboard for our own experiences. Why start from the bottom when we can stand on the shoulders of others?
As the quote that is often attributed to Bismarck attests: “Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others.”
Ancient Rome was a crowded place. There were all sorts of people from all sorts of backgrounds and social statuses jostling in the streets. It would have been difficult to make your way through the mass of humanity.
Let’s get right to it. According to a report by the Europol Innovation Lab that leverages other books and articles, “Experts estimate that as much as 90% of online content may be synthetically generated by 2026. Synthetic media refers to media generated or manipulated using artificial intelligence (AI).”
Maybe it’s a new job or even a new career. Perhaps it’s a promotion. It could be a spot in a graduate program or a leading role in a big show.
The details can vary, but the underlying thought remains: I don’t belong here and, worse, everyone will realize it any moment now and I’ll be shunned forever.
It’s called imposter syndrome and while it seems to affect all of us, we internalize it to the point that we believe it affects only us.
I’ve had so many bad job interview experiences. For years, it felt as if every time I went for an interview, I walked out feeling dejected and miserable. There were times when it felt like it would never improve. As someone that is now in the position where I interview others to join my team, I’m empathetic to those that come in looking for an opportunity.
“Having a bad boss isn’t your fault. Staying with one is.”
– Nora Denzel
There are three people I think about virtually every single day:
I thought I was good at managing my time, but having children has made me so much better at it.
That may seem counterintuitive. After all, children suck up all of our time. The moment they finish eating a meal, they’re asking for snacks. They need diaper changes and baths. They’re constantly pulling you somewhere to color or play or read to them. They need to be driven to practice and doctor appointments and friends’ homes. They create an incredible amount of dirty dishes and dirty laundry. They make the house look like it’s been ransacked and looted. They are agents of chaos.
They also want all of your time all of the time.
“For all sad words of tongue and pen, The saddest are these, ‘It might have been.’”
— John Greenleaf Whittier
It was always just a dream.
The Passion of Christopher Pierznik 